Portable conveyer.



PATBNTED NOV. 15, 1904.

J. AINSWORTH. PORTABLE CONVEYER.

APPLIQATION FILED Nov.17, 190s.

N0 MODEL.

WIN/55555 6%.. 744/ [NVE/V701? Attorney".

' and discharged.

Patented November 15, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

JESSE AINSWORTH, OF LYONS, KANSAS.

PORTABLE CONVEYER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No 774,731, dated November 15, 1904. Application filed November 17, 1903. Serial No. 181,547. (No modeLl T0 all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, JEssE AINsWoRTH, a citi- Zen of the United States of America, and a resident of Lyons, Rice county, and State of Kansas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Portable Conveyers, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which-- Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section of the apparatus; Fig. 2, a plan view thereo t', and Fig. 3 a transverse section on theline 3 8 of Fig. l.

The object of this invention is to provide a sim ple and durable apparatus for loading loose material, such as rock-salt, into box -cars. The present method of loading rock-salt into box-cars is to discharge the material from the spout of a storage-bin onto the floor of the car near the doorway thereof and employ a force of men to shovel the material back into the ends of the car. My present invention is adapted todo away with this time-consuming method, and in its preferred form it consists of a suitable frame mounted on a pair of truckwheels and provided with a pair of handles by which the machine may be mo ved about in the manner of a wheelbarrow. Upon the frame is rigidly supported the conveyer-frame, Which projects forwardly from the frame a considerable distance and carries a series of rollers for supporting the endless conveyerbelt. This belt is operated by a suitable engine mounted on the truck-frame, and this engine is supplied with motive fluid by means of a suitable ieXible hose connected thereto. The outer or discharge end of the conveyer is suspended in a suitable manner from the roof of the car.

In using this apparatus it is placed in the car adjacent to the doorway in such relation thereto that the discharge-spout of the storagebin shall discharge the material onto the outgoing upper side of the belt. The belt is moved continuously so that the material is carried out to the end of the conveyer-frame The suspending device enables the conveyer to be inclined upward, so that the material shall be discharged at the end of the car near the roof thereof` and when d one end of the car is filled the apparatus may be'turned around to till the opposite end, the suspending device being' disconnected from the first end and suitably connected to the roof at the other end. To facilitate turning the apparatus around in this manner, the conveyer-frame is adapted to be shortened, so that the turning around may be accomplished without removing the apparatus from the car.

Referring to the drawings by referenceletters, a designates the truck-wheels.supporting the truck-frame Attached to the truckframe at opposite sides Vare a pair of rigid levers provided with handles c, which project rearwardly. Mounted rigidly on the upper end of the truck-frame above the truck-.wheels is the conveyer-frame, which consists, usually, of a pair of beams d, connected together by transverse bolts e, this frame being suffi-l ciently long to extend fromthe doorway of an ordinary box-car to near the end thereof. Upon this frame is supported the endless conveyer-beltf, supported upon a series of transverse rollers or shafts journaled in the side beams. The rollers g at the ends of the conveyer-frame are straight cylindrical rolls; but the intermediate rolls /t are concaved or tapered from their ends to a point midway their length, so that the belt shall assume a trough shape, and thereby retain the material. To

compel the belt to assume this trough shape after it leaves the driving-roll g at the inner end of the conveyer-frame, I journal upon the conveyer-frame a depressingroller e', which is conveXed or tapered from its middle toward its ends.

The conveyer is driven by any suitable niotor j, mounted on the truck-frame. In the drawings I have shown a reciprocating engine bolted to the under side of the truck-frame, whose rod is connected by a suitable pitman Z to a crank-shaft m, journaled in the truck-frame. `A pinion n on this crank-shaft gears with a suitable spur-gear 0, mounted on a shaft p, journaled in the frame and carrying a sprocket-wheel at each end. To these sprocket-wheels are connected similar wheels 1 on the ends of the shaft carrying the driving-roller by means of the sprocket-chains i. A liexible hose s is adapted to convey the compressed air, steam, or other motive Huid to the engine. Where electricity is employed as the motive power the conductor will be inclosed in the hose.

The outer end of the conveyor-frame is divided transversely and hinged at t on its upper side, so that this outer section may be folded over upon the main part of the conveyer in order to shorten the con veyer-frame, and thus permit the apparatus to be turned around without removing it from the car. By placing the hinges t on the upper edges of the beams Z it will be observed that the ends of the sections abut when the forward section is extended to form stops to limit the downward swing of said section. Before thus folding over the outer end of the eonveyer the suspending-chain u is of course detached, and it will be obvious that there is sulcient slack in the belt to permit this folding of the conveyer without strain on the belt. The suspending-chain u is connected to the conveyer by a swinging bail fu, which is adapted to fold down on the upper edges of the conveyerbeams when the chain is detached. This chain may be connected to the root'- beams by a hook or other suitable device and may be readily adjusted, so that it will suspend the conveyer at the proper height with respect to the roof of the car.

A further advantage of hinging the outer end of the conveyer and adapting it to fold over in the manner described lies in the fact that when it is swung outward it acts in the manner of a belt-tightener, holding the belt at the proper tension, the length ot' the belt being of course so regulated that the proper tension is obtained.

It will be observed that in addition to its simplicity and durability this apparatus is very advantageous in that it is self-contained that is, carries its own motor-thereby enabling it to be moved about and freely manipulated at a considerabledistance from its source of power. As stated hereinbefore, any suitable motor may be employed on the truclframe to drive the conveyer-belt. In practice I have found a two-cylinder compressedan' engine to serve the purpose; but I desire it understood that I may use a steam or gasolcne motor or an electric motor.

It will be observed that by employing but a single pair of supporting and transporting wheels and disposing the conveyer at a right angle to the axles o1" the wheels permits the wheels to be used as pivots upon which the conveyer frame is vertically oscillated or tilted in adjusting the height of its delivery end, and by mounting the driving mechanism I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a portable conveyer, the combination or' a truck-frame mounted on wheels, a conveyer-frame mounted on said truck-frame and projecting outward therefrom, a conveyerbelt and supporting-rollers on said conveyeri'rame, the outer end of said conveyer-frame being' divided and hinged transversely to adapt said 'outer section to fold over upon the main section, a suspending device connected to the conveyer-'frame inside of said hinged section, and means on the truck-'frame for driving the conveyer, for the purposes set forth.

2. In a portable conveyer, the combination of a truck-frame mounted on wheels, a forwardly-projecting conveyer-'rame carrying' a series of transverse rollers, the end rollers being cylindrical and the intermediaterollers being' tapered from their ends toward their middle, a depressing or dishing roller mounted above the upper side of the belt, and means on the truck-frame for driving said belt.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aiiix my signature, in the presence of two witnesses, this 9th day of November, 1903.

JESSE AINSVORTH.

Vitnesses:

SAnL. J oNEs, M. L. GRIMEs. 

